Barbarella (1968) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Barbarella was tasked by the President of Earth to locate scientist Durand Durand, who disappeared during a mission to the North Star. The President feared that Durand's invention, the positronic ray, could be seized by a primitive culture and misused for warfare, threatening Earth's peace.

Foreshadowing: The mission setup establishes early on that the positronic ray is the central MacGuffin driving the plot.

• durand durand
• positronic ray
• president of earth
• mission
• scientist

The positronic ray is Durand Durand's groundbreaking invention. The President explains it could be weaponized by primitive civilizations for warfare, which is why Earth wants to retrieve both the scientist and his invention before they fall into the wrong hands.

• positronic ray
• invention
• weapon
• durand durand

After Mark Hand's faulty repairs cause Barbarella's ship to crash again, she engages the terra-screws to tunnel through Planet 16's core as a survival measure. This desperate maneuver propels her spacecraft up through the planet's center, depositing her directly into the Labyrinth.

Foreshadowing: The terra-screws were introduced earlier as a feature of her ship, making this escape method logical within the story's rules.

• labyrinth
• terra-screws
• planet core
• crash landing
• pygar

Pygar is a blind angel who has been condemned to the Labyrinth by the Great Tyrant. During an intimate encounter with Barbarella, he mysteriously regains his ability to fly. The film suggests this restoration is connected to their sexual bonding, aligning with the movie's playful treatment of sensuality as almost magical.

Foreshadowing: Professor Ping hints at Pygar's angelic nature when introducing him, establishing his supernatural qualities.

• pygar
• blind angel
• flight
• labrynth
• professor ping

The Mathmos is a malevolent cosmic entity that exists within the Chamber of Ultimate Solutions beneath Sogo. When released during the final battle, it wreaks havoc upon the entire city, becoming the ultimate threat that forces Barbarella and Pygar to flee for survival.

Foreshadowing: The Chamber of Ultimate Solutions is introduced as a ominous location before the Mathmos is revealed.

• mathmos
• chamber of ultimate solutions
• sogo
• entity
• threat

The Great Tyrant is the oppressive ruler of Sogo who condemns Pygar and others to the Labyrinth. He maintains control over his city through fear and force, and the resistance led by Dildano seeks to overthrow his regime.

Foreshadowing: Professor Ping mentions the Great Tyrant as the one who condemned the inhabitants of the Labyrinth.

• great tyrant
• sogo
• ruler
• oppression
• resistance

Mark Hand mistakenly repairs the ship's systems in reverse, likely due to his unfamiliarity with advanced Earth technology. When Barbarella attempts to take off, she discovers the error as the ship immediately crashes again, forcing her to use the terra-screws for escape.

Foreshadowing: Mark Hand is established as a mechanic operating on a primitive planet, making technological misunderstanding plausible.

• mark hand
• ship repairs
• crash landing
• terra-screws
• mechanic

Sogo is the decadent, tyrannical city ruled by the Great Tyrant. It serves as the main location for the film's second half, where Barbarella and Pygar face capture, encounter the resistance, and ultimately confront the Mathmos during the climactic battle.

Foreshadowing: The journey toward Sogo begins once Barbarella and Pygar escape the Labyrinth.

• sogo
• city
• great tyrant
• decadent
• resistance

Barbarella and Pygar are captured and taken to the Chamber of Ultimate Solutions, where they face the lurking Mathmos entity. They narrowly escape the dangerous encounter, though Barbarella is later separated from Pygar during the chaos.

Foreshadowing: The ominous chamber is foreshadowed as a place of ultimate danger before they arrive.

• chamber of ultimate solutions
• mathmos
• capture
• escape
• pygar

The Concierge of the Great Tyrant captures Barbarella and locks her in a room with the sleeping ruler, apparently as a form of torture or humiliation. This places her in immediate danger until the resistance battle erupts and disrupts the situation.

Foreshadowing: The Concierge was established as the Great Tyrant's servant who carried out the bird cage torture earlier.

• concierge
• great tyrant
• trap
• capture
• torture

When Pygar saves Barbarella by flying them to safety, he says 'an angel has no memory.' This suggests that angels operate without the burden of past grievances or lingering resentment, embodying forgiveness and redemption. Despite being wronged and captured, Pygar chooses to rescue others selflessly.

Foreshadowing: The theme of redemption through love is woven throughout Barbarella's encounters with Pygar.

• angel has no memory
• pygar
• ending
• redemption
• forgiveness

The twin girls speak an unfamiliar language that Barbarella cannot understand due to the tonguebox not yet being activated or calibrated. One twin strikes Barbarella with ice, rendering her unconscious so the children can bind her to a post and trigger the mechanical dolls, a seemingly playful but dangerous ritual in their society.

• twin girls
• planet 16
• unconscious
• ice
• mechanical dolls